Precipitated lignin and products containing same and the production thereof

Claim 1

ALKALI LIGNIN IN DISCRETE POWDER FORM HAVING A SURFACE AREA OF AT LEAST 20 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF PRODUCING PRECIPITATED LIGNIN WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PROPELLING, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 35 AND 190*F., A STREAM OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ALKALI LIGNIN THROUGH A MIXING ZONE OF CONSTRICTED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA WITH SUFFICIENT VELOCITY TO CREATE CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT FLOW IN EXCESS OF A REYNOLDS NUMBER OF 75,000 IN SAID MIXING ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A PRECIPITANT FOR SAID LIGNIN SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACIDS AND POLYVALENT METALLIC SALTS, WHEREBY SAID PRECIPITANT SOLUTION IS MIXED SUBSTANTIALLY INSTANTANEOUSLY WITH SAID LIGNIN SOLUTION AND THE LIGNIN IS PRECIPITATED IN SAID MIXING ZONE AND SUBJECTED TO SAID CONDITIONS OF TRUBULENT FLOW, AND RECOVERING THE PRECIPITATED LIGNIN BY SEPARATING THE RESIDUAL LIQUID THEREFROM.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF PRODUCING PRECIPITATED LIGNIN WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PROPELLING, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 35 AND 190*F., A STREAM OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ALKALI LIGNIN THROUGH A MIXING ZONE OF CONSTRICTED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA WITH SUFFICIENT VELOCITY TO CREATE CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT FLOW IN EXCESS OF A REYNOLDS NUMBER OF 75,000 IN SAID MIXING ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A PRECIPITANT FOR SAID LIGNIN SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACIDS AND POLYVALENT METALLIC SALTS, WHEREBY SAID PRECIPITANT SOLUTION IS MIXED SUBSTANTIALLY INSTANTANEOUSLY WITH SAID LIGNIN SOLUTION AND THE LIGNIN IS PRECIPITATED IN SAID MIXING ZONE AND SUBJECTED TO SAID CONDITIONS OF TRUBULENT FLOW, AND RECOVERING THE PRECIPITATED LIGNIN BY SEPARATING THE RESIDUAL LIQUID THEREFROM.